Frieda Zamba

Freida Zamba is a four-time world surfing champion from the United States. She won three titles in a row from 1984 to 1986, then won again in 1988.[1] She lives in Costa Rica.

Frieda Zamba
Personal information
Born (1965-10-25) October 25, 1965
Flagler Beach, Florida
ResidenceFlagler Beach, Florida
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight110 lb (50 kg)
Surfing career
Best year1984, 1985, 1986, 1988
Major achievementsFour time ASP World Surfing Champion, Five time Surfer Poll Awards, East Coast Surfer Hall of Fame,
Surfing specifications
Stancegoofy

Frieda Zamba was the youngest female to win a pro tour contest and the youngest surfing world champion ever. She went on to win three titles in a row and then fought back to win a fourth. Outright dangerous in small to mid-size surf, Zamba crossed the performance chasm that separated male and female surfers in the 80's and, based solely on performance, is regarded by many as the greatest female surfer ever.

Besides being a talented and tactical competitor Zamba was incredibly popular during her reign. She won 5 straight Surfer Poll awards from 1985 to 1989 and was profiled in a 1987 piece in Sports Illustrated titled "Queen of the Surf." In 1998 she was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame as that year's Woman of the Year; the Walk is in Huntington Beach, California.[2] She is still hailed as a bona fide hero in her home town, being the obvious namesake for the Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool at the Palm Coast Aquatics Center in Palm Coast, Florida.

Frieda Zamba's surfing blurred the edges between male and female wave riders, and while that may be a cliché used when describing great women surfers, she proved it by regularly out-surfing male competitors. At a time when surfing finally demanded a global audience, Frieda Zamba was the undisputed queen of professional surfing.

References

  1. "Zamba's road to 4th". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. January 6, 1989. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  2. "Woman of the Year". Surfingwalkoffame.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
Preceded by
Kim Mearig
World surfing champion (Women)
1984 - 1986
Succeeded by
Wendy Botha
Preceded by
Wendy Botha
World surfing champion (Women)
1988
Succeeded by
Wendy Botha


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